Former House Minority Leader Mike McLane Will Seek Comeback in Vacant State Senate Seat

The lawyer and former judge from Powell Butte hopes to succeed Sen. Lynn Findley

In the Oregon Senate. (Blake Benard)
By Nigel Jaquiss

One of the GOP’s more experienced former lawmakers wants to return to the Capitol.

Mike McLane, who served five terms as a state representative, including six years as House minority leader, today announced he will run for the seat in sprawling Senate District 30 in Central and Southeastern Oregon being vacated by state Sen. Lynn Findley (R-Vale).

McLane, who lives in Powell Butte, represented House District 55 from 2011 to 2019. In his first session, Democrats and Republicans shared power evenly, 30-30, but he served the rest of his career in the minority. Then Gov. Kate Brown appointed McLane, a lawyer, to the bench in Crook County Circuit Court in 2019. He resigned that position in 2021 to return to private practice.

Now with the endorsements of U.S. Reps. Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) and Findley, he appears highly likely to return to Salem as a member of the upper chamber.

“My wife Holly and I care deeply about the farms, ranches and communities in Central and Eastern Oregon,” McLane said in a statement. “If honored to represent you in the Oregon Senate, I will work to ensure the state government invests in our future, I will fight to protect our food supply, and I will ensure that the rule of law and our constitutional rights are upheld.”

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